Combined muffler and air heater



April 22, 1930.

R. H. KEAGLE ET AL- COMBINED MUFFLER AND AIR HEATER Filed Aug. 14,` 192s zlsheets-sheet 1 w.. L i TL zg/Q72@ im z@ www April 22, 1930. v R, H, KEAGLE ET AL. ,755,924

COMBINED MUFFLER AND AIR HEATER Filed Aug. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 22, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFl'cE RAYMONDv H. xEAeLE AND STANLEY E. KEAGLE, or MINNEAPOLIS,l MINNESOTA COMBINED MUFFLER AND AIR HEATER Application led August 14, 1928. Seriali No. 299,617.

The present invention relates to improvements 1n combined mulers and air heaters gtplable of being installed upon motor driven icles and particularly, the closed type,.

whereby the exhaust from the engine of the vehicle may be utilized for heating air whereby this heated air may be caused to circulate throughout the closed vehicle body during cold weather andlikewise, be caused to circulate over the windshield and the windows of the vehicle body in order to serve-to prevent frost formation thereupon.

It is an object of the present invention to,

rovide a device of this character, which may e easily and readily installed upon motor driven vehicles with b ut slight alteration thereto and when installed, the air to be heated will be freely circulated through the same in order to supply pure heated air t0 2o the equipped vehicle body interior without coming in direct contact with the exhaust gases or interfere with the passage of the latter through the muer portion thereof.

Other objects of the invention will'be in y part obvious and in part pointed out hereafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood b those skilled in the art to which it appertains, we

have in the accompanying illustrative draw- ,ings, and in the detailed following description based thereupon, set out one possible embodiment of the invention.

In these drawings: 7

Fi ure 1 is a side elevation of the invention showing it'installed` u on a closed body type of. motor driven vehic e.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse Sectio taken on the line 2--2 of Figure l, looking in the direction in which the arrows point.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail, partly in elevation and artly inlongitudinal section illustrating the construction of the combined muffler and air heating device employed in connection with the invention.

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction in which the arrows point.

Figure 5 lis a fragmentary detail, section, showing the arrangement o partly in the fan `or aspirator in the air circulating means and gether-with the motor for imparting rotary motion thereto.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout, it may be stated in a prefatory sense, that the invention hereinafter disclosed is particularly adapted for installation in motor driven vehicle bodies ofthe closed type. Hence, we have herein illustrated the invention as being installed upon a closed body typeof motor driven vehicle generally indicated, for convenience, by the numeral 1.

The invention, per se, may be stated to comprehend an air circulating pipe or conduit,- seamless or jointless throughout Aits length and designated b the numeral 2, said conduit having iexi le or angularly disposed conduits 3 and 4 connected to the opposite ends of the same by suitable couplings 5.

Enveloping the major portionof the air circulatin Vpipe 2 is a jacket or shell like casing in icated in its` entiretyl by the numeral 6, said jacket consisting of a metal construction including cross sectionally semicircular portions 7 and 8, certain of the marginal portions of which are flanged, as at'9, and are adapted to be arranged in complemental reatlonship, as is shown inthe Figure 4, whereby bolts or other suitable fastening devices 10 may be passed therethrough and the cross sectionally'semi-circular sections thus ,secured in jacketed relation about the air circulating pipe 2 in the manner as is clearly shown in the Figures 3 and 4,. In this jacketed arrangement about the air. circulating pipe 2, it will benoted that the device 7 is substantially circular in cross sectional shape,'whereas the opposite end portions of the same are' partially closed by end walls 11 having coaxially alined openin s therein through which the adjacent portions of opposite extremities of said pipe 2 extend, as is well shown in the Figure e.

lVith a view toward providing the interior of the shell-like casing or jacket 6 with means for eecting the passage of heated exhaust gases from the vehicle motor through the same in `a tortuous course and hence, insure their full contact with the exposed surface of the air circulating pipe 2, we form spiral webs with each sect-ion 7 and 8 of the casing so that upon connecting these sections together in the manner as is illustrated in the Figure 4, a continuous spiral baille 12 will be extended or provided longitudinally through the interior of the jacket 6. p l

The opposite extremities of one of the sections of the jacket or shell like casing 6, and preferably, the section 8, is formed with openings communicating with short conduits or elbows 13 and 14. the elbow 13 being adapted to receive therein the adjacent end of the exhaust manifold E of the equipped vehicle motor M, while the elbow 14 is preferably of a length to convey the exhaust gases from the jacket 6 into the atmosphere.'

The flexible or angular conduit or pipe 4:, hereinbefore described, is preferably extended through an opening formed in the flooring of the vehicle body 1 intothe same, as is shown in the Figure 1; a cap like device 15 being en gaged over'the open end of said conduit and serving as a means for permitting the intaking of air into said conduit from the vehicle interior and at the same time, as an effectual guard for said inwardly disposed end of the'conduit 4.

The flexible or angular conduit or pipe 2 is ext-ended for a distance forwardly of the vehicle 1 and upwardly under the usual hood H thereof, whereatit is connected with a port of a rotary fan casing 16, as indicated at 17, said fan casing being efect-ually supported upon the vehicle within the hood vH and havying a rotary "fan or aspiratorv 18 mounted therein, as is shown in the Figure 5. Another port 1s formed in the fan 'oraspirator casing 16 and has an elbow or conduit- 19 extending therefrom. into which a Y-branch coupling 20- is engaged, one of the extremities of this Y- coupling being angularly disposed and provided with substantially V-shaped end port ions 21 having nozzles 22 connected tothe eX- tremit-ies thereof. The remaining extremity of the- Y-coupling is extended downwardly at an angle from the elbow 19 and each of the extremities are adapted to be disposed through the forward wall of the vehicle body and to communicate with the interior thereof.

To permit of the selective control or regulation of the passage of air to and from the extremities of the Y-coupling 20` I pivotally mount within said coupling, as is shown 1n the Figure 5, a flap valve 23, xedly securing to-the pivot pin thereof, an operating lever 24, whereby pivotal movement may be kconveniently imparted to said valve 23 and itsY so regupositioning within the Y-couplin lated as to close one of the extremities of the same and to open the other or vice versa. Also, if desired, the lia-p valve 23 may be so arranged as to be neutrally positioned, that is, said valve may be adjusted so that it will divide or split the air passing from the. elbow 19 into said Y coupling, and consequently' upon this, the discharge of air from each of the extremities of said coupling will be effeet-ed.

As a means for imparting rotary motion to the fan or vaspirator 1:8 within the casing 16, we extend the fan shaft from one of the'bearings thereof, as is shown in the Figure 6. and connect the same to the rotary armature of an electrical motor 25, tixedly supported to an adjacent portion of the vehicle 1; suitable electrical conductors (not shown herein), be-

ing connected to the terminals of the motor p and to the local source of energy of the vehicle (also not shown herein) for an obvious purpose.

the upper of the extremities of the Y-coupling 20 into the vehicle body interior, it willbe noted, especially, upon reference to the Figure 1, that the nozz e portions 22 are so positioned that they will discharge air-pass1ng therefrom onto the lower or middle portion of the inner side of the vehicle windshield. Because of this, the discharge from the nozzles 22 will be caused to deflect against the windshield and to cover a goodly portion of the area thereof before it 'passes rearwardly through the vehicle body in that port, as is indicated by the arrows in the Figure 1.,. Furthermore, it will be noted that with the opening or partial opening of the lower branch 0|' los extremity of the Y-coupling 20, the air will be passed` from said extremity in that general course, as indicated by the arrows leading therefrom to the cap-like guard 15, also shown in the Figure 1.

` In operation of our im roved combined vehicle body heating and rost removing or preventing device, with starting'of the motorl discharged 4from the rearward Iend of the jacket 6 by way of the elbow or conduit 14 into the atmosphere. During this passage of the heated exhaust gases through the Yjacket 6, it will beunderstood that the air circuml ing Pipe 2 Will blheated thereby to a fairly high temperature.

Concurrently with the passage of the heatled exhaust gases through the'jacket 6, the aspirator 18 within its casing 16 is rotated from the electrical motor in a drection'to cause the 'in-taking of air by the guard cap 15 arranged adjacent the flooring of the vehicle body 1, as is shown in the Figure 1. T his air will be drawn through the air circulating ipe' 2 and consequently will be heated, w ereupon it will be caused to pass from said pipe2 to the flexible conduit 3 and the casing 16 and then discharged by way of -the port or elbow 19 into the Y-coupling 20.

I By adjusting or positioning the ilap valve 23 within said Y-coupling 20, this heated air Fmay be caused to discharge from either of the extremities of said coupling, or from both thereof, as hereinbefore explained.

The heated air discharging from the nozzle'sv 22 unto the inner side' of the vehicle body windshield will serve as a means to positively remove frost formations therefrom, and also, to prevent such formations. Furthermore, by lreason of this circulation of heated air by the windows of the vehicle bod it will be understood that the same will ad 'tionally serve as a means to remove such formations from4 the windows and will operate to prevent further formations of a similar character there- AIn l jacketr 6.4

upon. O

During summertime or warm weather, when it is not desired to V.dischar e heated air into thevehicle body interior, t e invention may be utilized as a means for cooling the heated exhaust gases discharging into the jacket 6' from the exhaust manifold' E, hence, preventing overheating of the exhaust Ripe. This latter expedient 1s accomplished y ,removing the free end of the conduit 4 which normally carries the guard cap 15 from the vehicle oorlng and interior and permittl'ig it to discharge outwardly of the vehicle y; also, by reversin ythe direction of roan 18 so that it will serve asa form of injector,"in"t`aking' air@ through the extremities of the Y-couplin-20 z and-passing said air by way of the con uit 3 .downwardly into the communicatingi of the air circulating and t throughl the jacket 6, cooled pipe 2 will end serve as a means for reducingthe temperature of the heated exhaust'- ases d ischarged'fromthe elbow' 13 into said g-Manifesuy, the .constructies sho@ is cpable' lof considerable modification and "such modification 'as lis within the scopeofou'r 1 91 I. Wofconideriwithin thespirtp'f Invention.' u z We claim:

" 1.A A combined muler and ai; heater a cylindrical sectonaljfcasing, anair our hands.A

l Y' RAYMOND KEAGLE. v

ing and arranged concentrically therewith, -a plurality of splral webs formed with each section of the casing, adapted to form a continu-` ous spiral baiileextending around said air cir-I culatmg pipe, and short conduits formed at the opposite ends `osaid'ea'sin for connection with the .exhaust manifol whereby the exhaust gases maylbe'caused to travel through said casing aroundsaid air circulating pipe and subsequently be 'exhausted therefrom. e

2. A combined muilier and air heater comformed vwith said casingand having co-axially alining openings therein, an air clrculating pipe adapted to extend through said casing andl said co-axially alining openings, spiral 'Webs formed with each section pf the casing adapted to form a continuous spiral ba'ile when the sections of the casing areconnected of a motor,

together, short conduits formed at the oppo-` site ends of one of said sections and provlded for connection with the exhaust manifold of a motorwhereby the exhaust gases therefrom may be caused to enter said casing and circulate about' said air circulating pipe and be subsequently exhausted therefrom.

- In witness whereof ,we have hereunto vset I los i 2 ence Iivligredpon the air".

pipe extending easles 

